Current-motor



R.l SUGKOW. GURRRRT MOTOR.

, 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

Patented JRR.v 29, 18.89.

.R m- S R..

E. SUGKOW.' CURRENT MOTOR.

v4L Sheets-Sheet 3.

(NO ModeI.)

No. 397,097. Patented Jag.. 29, 1889.-

(No Model.)

. 4 sheets-sheet 4. E., SUCKOW. CURRENT MOTOR.

Patented Jan. 29,1889.

N, PETERS. PrwmLnhogmphnr. wnangtan. llt:v

vto simplify the construction of the parts EDMUND SUCKOlV, OF

PATENT BUFFALO, NET YORK.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,097, dated January 29, 1889.

Application filed February 27, 1888. Serial No. 265,388. (No model.) v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDMUND SUCKOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have vinvented new and 'useful lmprovements in (lurren t'Motors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to current or tide-water motors, and the purpose thereof is to provide a novel constri'iction and arrangement of parts whereby a greatly-increased length of the wing-belt may be practicable and a corresponding increase of power attainable.

It is my purpose, also, to provide means whereby the belt-drums may be raised out of the current by the motive power of the mechanism, and to combine therewith simple and .readily-operated apparatus whereby, when desired, the drums may be both raised and lowered without exercise of manual power.

lt is my further purpose to provide an improved construction of cable belt which may be substituted for the link belt heretofore used, whereby greater flexibility is secured and the construction of the mechanism considerably simpliiied.

It is my further purpose, also, to provide a novel, simple, and secure manner of fastening` the ends of the cables forming saidbelt and forming such belt.

lt is my purpose to provide a motor capable of use in tide-water, and to combine therewith means whereby the axes of the drums carrying the continuous belt of the motor may be inclined in two directions relatively to the ebb and liow of the tide to present the wings or vanes of the belt to the force of the cur rent or flow in such manner and at such an angle that the weight of the belt shall be in part sustained by the force of said current, thereby permitting a material increase in the length of said-belt.

My invention also contemplates the provision of suitable means for imparting a proper tension to the belt, and the coinbinatiomwith the shaft, of anti friction carriages upon which' said shafts have bearing, whereby the necessary adjustments for tension and to secure a proper angle of .the vanes of the belt relatively to the line of action of the current may be speedily and easily effected without undue wear and tear of the operativeparts.

The invention consists in the several novel features of construction and new combinations of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and then definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l. is a view showing the belt in plan and the two drums in horizontal section, the plane of sec tion of the drum at the left being in the line a: Qc, Fig. 2, and that of the other drum in the line y y] of said figure. Fig. 2 is aview partly in central. vertical section and partly in elevation in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the complete apparatus organized as acurrent-motor. Fig. #l is an elevation taken from the left-hand end of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the adaptation of the mechanism to a tide-water motor. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the lower part of Fig. 5,the shaft and drum being removed. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of a section of the link belt. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of a portion of the cable belt, showing also the manner of uniting the ends of the cables. Fig. 9 is a detail elevation of one of the cross-braces of the cable belt detached. Fig. l0 is a partial plan of the friction-clamp mechanism for bringing into action the devices for raising and lowering the drums by the power of the current. Fig. 1l is a detail plan of the modified construction of clamp for raising the drums by the power of the current, the lowering beingeffected by manual power. Fig. 12 is a detail view of the universal bearing for the arm of the lever operating the friction-clamp. Fig. 13 is a bottom plan of one of the shaft-carriages. Fig. le is a side elevation of a motor applied to a falling current.

In the said drawings, the reference-ninneral l denotes the shaft upon which the drums carrying the motor-belt are' keyed. These shafts are each provided with a journal-pin, 2, which is stepped into a suitable bearing, 4, said bearing boing either movable, as hereinafter described, or rigid. The lower end-of the shaft rests in a ring, 5, having frictionrolls 6, which run upon the base or support 4, an opening being formed in a socket, 7, car- IOO ried by said ring to permit the journal-pin to pass through and engage the aperture in the bearing 4.

Upon cach shaft l is keyed in any manner 5 a drum, which may consist of parallel heads 8, inelos'ing a cylindrical body, 9, with the heads projcctin su fiiciently to form suitable flanges 10. I may, however, substitute for the cylimlrical body spiders 1 2, having a fork,

,o 125, at the extremity of each arm to engage with the cross-braces of the belt. lf the eylindrical body Sl is employed, it is provided with transverse channels 14, having sprocket teeth 15, to partly embrace the crossbraces. 5 It should be noted that the cylindrical form is especially adapted to the use of the cable belt, while the spiders are preferably 'used with the link belt shown in Fig. 1.

The link belt consists of a series of similar o frames composed of side bars, 1G, pivotally coupled together at their ends by cross-braces 17. llpon each cross-brace is hinged a wing or vane, 1S, composed of a fiat plate of metal or other material connected by flexible fast 5 enings 1S) io the side bars, lil, said fastenings being attached at anysuitable point between the ends of the vane. l have shown the hingeeonn ections 2O as looped upon the cross-lnfaees; but I may substitute therefor any suitable o form of fastening-such, for example, as that shown in Fig. S, and. consisting of loops 21, upon the vane engaging with eyes 22 on the cross-ln'ace. The link belt thus formed is continuous, running over both drums, and 5 of any desired length. It may, if preferred, consi `t of a double series of vanes arranged in pairs, as in Fig. 7, the members of each pair being separated by a central bar, iir.

l pon the lower flange of the drum, at suito able intervals, I mount friction-rolls 253, upon which the edges of the belt may ride as it comes upon and leaves the drum, thereby taking-oli the wear caused by the gravitation of the belt upon the drum. Upon the upper 5 part of such shafts l is mounted a pulley, 2-1, from which power derived may be transmitted -to any suitable mechanism; but, if preferred, a gear .may be substituted for the pulley. The drums bein g usually of considerable diameter n and correspondingly heavy, it essential to provide means whereby they maybe raised to a point where they as well as the belt maybe accessible :for repair, inasmuch as I have provided for sinking these parts, when in opera- 5 tion, far enough below the surface to obviate all danger .from floating ice or other nlatters, as well as from navigation. 'lo effect this result I have provided the followin means:

Tapped through suitable bearings, fist, upon n the drum are serewshafts 2li, each keyed toa pinion, 27, the serew-shaft having beneath said pinion a collar, 28, which rests upon a disk, 2U, keyed to the shaft 1,. Each of these pinions meshes Vwith an internally-geared annulus, 30, which is mounted on the disk 2S), and may turn in a groove or channel, 31.,

The periphery of the annuformed therein.

lus Fl() is provided with a groove, 32, in which :is laid a :friction-clamp band, mi, having lugs 3l, Fig. 10, upon its ends, through which a screw, 35, is tapped, the thread of said screw provided with aelamp-band, 40, and a clampoperating screw, 151, similar to that already described in connection with the disk 2f).

I't will readily be seen that by locking the gear-ainiulns, the center gear, 37, being free, the pinions 2i' will be rotated in one direction, while by lookin the disk Si), and thereby arresting the centei' gear, 37, said pinions will be rotated in the opposite direction, thereby revolving the screw-shafts and raising and lowering' the belt-drums by the force of the current.

inasmuch as the labor involved in lifting the drums is much greater than that required to lower them, I may use a single screw-shaft only, as shown in Figs. 3 and 1.2. This shaft 42 lies in a channel, 43, in the shaft 1 and its thread meshes with nuts or other bearings Vtt on the drum. \Vhen this construction is adopted, a friction-disk, .t, is mounted upon the upper end of the screw-shaft, which projects through the pulley 24 eccentrically to the axis of the latter. 'lhis disk is provided with a lower Hange, 1li, Fig. 111, upon which rests a clamp-ban l, 47, which surrounds the edge of the disk. One end of this clamp band is rigidly secured to an arm, 4S, which rests on the tiange lo, while the other end is attached to the end of a lever, 49, having a fulcrum in lugs on the arm 4S. `ly drawing the lever-arm over, the disk 115 will be locked and the d rum will, as the shaft continues its revolutions, be forced to climb the screw-shaft Upon the disk @t5 are formed lugs 51, having' openings 52 for the insertion of hand-spilv'es, whereby the screwshaft may be revolved to lower the drum. The arm .Jct is nionnted on a bar, 523, which is secured in a bearing, 54, hereinafter more particnh'n'ly described.

In place of the linh belt described, l may use the cable belt shown in Fig This belt consists of two parallel cables, 55, of wire or other suitable material, having at intervals cross-lnaees 5G, thel extremities of which are forked to parti y embrace said cables, a rivetpin, 57, being inserted in the branches of the fork and passing through the cable. 4Each cross-ln'ace is provided with eyes 22, with which loops 21 engage, said loops being ri vet ed to the plates forming the vanes of the belt, which are limited in their swinging IIO 'bles are laid in the forks of the cross-brace o3, outside the extremities of the crossed portions, and are carried straight to the ends of the cross-brace G9, where they are` fastened by rivets G5. lVithin the space occupied by the crossed ends of the cables no vane is placed. The construction described gives a simple form of fastening, which imparts great strength and security to the joint.

I propose to incline the shafts of the motor instead of placing them vertically, in order that the force of' the current may exert a lifting-power upon those portions of the belt between the drums. In waters having a constant flow in one and the same direction this inclination, having been once adjusted to the rapidity of the current, will not require material alteration afterward. In tide water motors, however, where the direction of the current is reversed each day, the shafts require to be inclined part of the time in one direction and part of the time in the opposite direction. It is also desi able at times to adjust one of the drums in such manner as to take up any slack in the belt, and for these purposes I have provided the following means: The journal-piu 2 of the adjustable shaft has bearing in an aperture in a shaftcarriage, 66, upon which the ring 5 rests, said carriage be-V ing mounted upon friction-rolls (i7, consistingl of cylindrical bars grooved circumferentially to engage with ribs or lugs (5S on the bottom of the carriage, whereby said rolls are held in place and permitted to turn freely. The shaft-carriage rolls upon a base, G9, which is inclined, as in Fig. 4, to suit the required in'- clination of the shaft. A swivel or other bearing, 7 O, supports the upper part of the shaft I. This bearing consists of a collarsurrounding the shaft and having' an arm, 7l, which projects inward toward a pier, abutment, or other support, 7 2, upon which is mounted a horizontal flanged rail, 713, engaging the lower edge of a flat plate, 74, formed or mounted on the arm 7l. A similar flanged rail, 7 5, overlaps the upper edge of the plate, which is free to move in either direction between said rails. A similar bearing, 7 (i, having a similar arm, 77, and simila' lysupported between rails 7 S, is applied to the lower portion of the shaft l, above the shaft-carriage Go'.

J ournaled in suitable bearings, 7 9, upon the abutment or other support, 72, are screwshafts SO, tapped through the arms 7l and 77, or through bearings attached to said arms. Upon each shaft is a gear, 81, meshing with in either direction and the tension of the belt adjusted to the requirements of each case. In this construction, where the inclination of the shaft is not materially changed, the base 69 may be provided with guides or rails 8G, between which the shaft-carriage G6 moves.

In cases where the motor is adapted to use in tide-waters provision must be made for adjusting the shaft] of the motor in both directions to incline Jrhe vanes of the belt to thel ebb and flow, respectively, and this adjustment must be made independently of the adjustment for tension, already described. For this purpose, therefore, I form a trunnionbearing, 87, upon the shaft, which rests in a fork, 8S, on the upper arm, 7l, Fig. 5. At its lower end this shaft turns upon its journalpiu 2 and rests upon the ring 5, which turns upon the shaft-carriage G6. Inasmuch as the inclination of the shaft to the flow of the current must be radial, or in the arc of a circle struck from the trunnion-bearing S7, I form the base 89, upon which said carriage moves, in the arc of a circle having a suitable curve, and arrange the carriage 66 so that its friction-rolls will ride upon the concave surface. The adjustment for tension being' less frequent and the friction-rolls ,(57 offering but little resistance, the carriage is moved in the direction of the length of said rolls to tighten and loosen the belt, as will be morefully set. forth hereinafter.

Upon the plate 90, sliding between the flanged rails 7 S upon the support 7 2, is a bracket-frame, Ul, extending across the concave base Si) and curved coneentrically therewith. rlhe other end of the frame is attached to a slide-plate, 92, moving between rails Q3, formed or mounted on a support, 9i, rising `from the base, said rails being parallel with the rails 78.

The curved portion of theframe 91 is provided with a channel or slot, 95, through which tie-bolts QG extend. \\'ithin this channel lies a block, 96, the edges or sidesof which are flush with the lateral or outer surfaces of the curved bars of the frame, the construction closely resembling that Vof the erosshead of an engine. The bolts llt', pass through a plate, 97, having its upper edge lying' upon or against the upper edge of the frame above the channel 95 and through the slide-block 9o, and the lower edge of said plate clamps upon the side of the sliaft-carriagc. A flanged bearing, EJB, embrac(\s the lower end of the shaft above the ring 5, and, the halves of the ring being' bolted together, depending lugs 100 are l formed umn the meeting )arts which lue's b J D drop over and close firmly upon the ends of the shaft-carriage G6. By these devices the carriage is compelled to move with the shaft IOO IZO

in all directions. In brackets lOl are journalcd screw-shafts 1.02, tapped through the endsot' the ln'aeket-iframe i) 1. These shafts are provided with worm-gears 1 0-f3, moved in unison by a worm-shai't, lili, having1 a miter-gear, 105, at its end. '.lhis miter meshes with a second mitcr on 1h e vertical shaft Vl (lo, having` a handwheel by which it is turned. The screw-shafts etl'ect-the adjustment by which the tension is regulateil, the upper bearing being moved simultanetnisly in the manner already set forth. The change ot inclination is eltected by the ebb and tlow et the tide, the shafts and drums swaying back and forth with each change. The de of the frame l., next the closed supporting-shaft, is provided with an arch, ill, to impart additional strength to resist the tension oi' the bel t and the draft thereon caused by the power olf the current.

As the arm or bar 53 ot the friction-clamp band 47 is raised and lowered by the change oi inclination described, I construct the bearing 54, in which it is mounted, with trunnionbearings 107, journaled in a ring, S, the latter having a bar, 109, depending from it and lying in a socket, llo, in which it rises and falls, as seen in Fig. 5. \\'ith a tide-water motor both shafts must be adjustable as to iuelination; but as to tension it is suiiicient to adj ust one ot said shafts only, as seen in Fig.

It is evident that I may use this motor in a cataract or l'all, as well as in other parts of the current, the only change being in the forni of bearings 'for the ends of the shaft.

The operation ot' the motor is obvious. The enti re belt,save those portions in contact with the drums,is exposed to the action of the current, as shown in l `igs.l and fl. '.lhe inclination ot the shat'ts, whcrcbythe currentstrikes the vanes at a vertical as well as a horizontal angle, bears the long seeiitnis ol' belt stretched `between the drums upward, suliiporting their weight, or so nearly so as to enable the length of the belt lo be ver greatly exteinled.

(,)penings or recesses 'l li maybe `t'ormed in the drum il when the cyliinlricalbody isused, lyingl partly in the lower Iiange, S, and partly in the body 9. These openings receive the chains or iiexible eonneetions, limitingI the outward swing oli' the vanes ot the belt.

(lea-rers or scraper-s l if?, Figs. 3 and -l-, may be mounted upon the pier or other support 72, in proximity to the drums, to remove weeds or other obstriieiions lrom the same. These clearers are provided with an angle or edge, which is inclined to the line ol travel ot the belt, whereby any rubbish, weeds, or other debris adhering to the wings will be removed, the angular position ol' the clearer acting ina manner analogous toa shearing-edge and carrying oil' lforeign matters tmvard the bottoni. lhc shaft-carriages at the lower ends ot the drum-shafts and the way or base upon which they move are inelosed by guar(l-casii1gs lll, which are eoextensive with the basc-sup1-1oi't and ei'tectually Aprotect the parts from accumulations of sand, sinking materials, and other obstructions.

IYhat I claim isl. Ina current-motta, a pair ol' shafts having' independent supportand carrying drums connected by a belt having vanes capa-ble of a limited outward deflection, the axes ot' said shafts being inclined contrary to the direction ot the current, substantially as described.

L. In a current-niotor, the combination, with. a pair ol' shafts mounted upon independent supports and having their axes inclined against the direction oli' the current and pro vided with drums keyed upon said shafts, ot' a belt connecting said drums and provided at intervals with vanes hinged to cross-braces upon the belt and having' flexible fastenings connecting the sides oi. said vanes to the parallel members of the belt, substantially as described.

f. In a current-motor, the combination, with inclined sha'tts mounted upon independent supports and having drumskeyed or mounted thereon, ot' a belt connecting said drums and Aformed of parallel cables having cross-braces at intervals and provided with vanes hinged to said cross -braces, substantially as described.

l. In a current-motor, the combination, with two shafts having suitable drums keyed thereon, of screw-shafts tapped through bearings on each drum and having pinions meshing with a central gear loose on the drumshaft, and with an outer gear-annulus and means for arresting the rotation of either said gear or gear-annulus for revolving said pinions in either direction to raise and lower the drums and the belt carried thereby by the power ot the current, substantially as described.

5. In a current -motor, the combination, with the vertical shafts mounted upon independent supports and druinis carrying the belt, ol' movable bearings upon which the lower ends ot' said shafts are stepped, said bea'rin swinging in the direction ol' the tlowoi" the current, and stationary bearings :tor the upper portions ot' said shafts to secure an automatic I, inclination of the shafts against the current, substantially as described.

6. In a current-motor, the combination, with shafts mounted upon independent supports su pporting a belt stretched transversely to the current, of a traveling shaft-carriage supporting the lower ends of said shafts and moving with the current, means for imparting a pivotal support to the upper portion ol.' said shalts, and stn'ew-shal'ts geared to operate in substantial unison to adjust one otsaid shafts in a direction transverse to the flow ot' the current to vary the tension oli' the belt, substa-'n t ially as described.

7. In a current-motor, the combination, with a pair of inclined shafts having drums which sustain the belt by which power is communicated, ol screw-shafts tapped through nuts on IOO said drums, disks keyed on said drum-shaftsy and giving bearing to the upper ends of said shafts, an intermediate toothed gear-annulus free to revolve on said disk, pinions on the screw-shafts gearing with said annulus, and a Central gear, also meshing with said pinions and earried by a loose hub mounted on the shaft and having` a disk and Ai'rietion-elainps independently Connected with both disks, whereby either may be arrested while the other revolves, substantially as described.

8. In a current-motor, the combination, with one of the shafts having a drum to earl-y the motor-belt, of a Yshaft-carriage inv which said shaft has a step-bearing, arms having split rings or collars embracing said shaft below and above and each provided with a slideplate moving in flanged rails mounted on a suitable Support near said shaft, parallel screw-shafts tappedthrough said arms and having worm-gears at their ends, and a wormshaft having a hand-wheel, substantially as described.

9. In a current-motor, the Combination, with a shaft supporting one of the drums carrying the motor-belt, of sorew-shafts tapped through nuts on said drum, a disk rigid on the drumshaft in which said screw-shafts have bearing, an internally-geared annulus restingl on said disk and meshing with pinions on the ends ot' the screw-shafts, a central pinion meshing with said pinions and carried by a hub loose on the drum-shaft and provided with a disk, an independent friction-clamp on the annulus and another on the disk, and means for operatin said olam ps alternately to arrest the revolution of said ann ulus and disk, whereby the drums are raised and lowered by the power derived from the Current, sul'istantially as described.

In testimonyv whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND SUC/HOW'. Titnessesz J. A. RUTHERFORD, Jos. L. CooMBs. 

